Snow Forecast As UK Cold Snap Continues

The freezing weather conditions sweeping across Britain are predicted to bring snow to some parts this weekend.

Daytime temperatures have fallen four or five degrees below the average for February and some areas have remained below freezing all day.

There are warning that in some parts of the country the mercury will fall to as low as -10C tonight.

The chill means rain that is forecast for Saturday and Sunday is now expected to fall as snow.

The Met Office has issued its first England-wide Level 3 Cold Weather Alert of the winter.

Sky News weather presenter Isobel Lang said snow was expected across Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire, followed by snowfalls along the other eastern counties of England.

"Easterly winds will continue to make it feel bitterly cold across southern Britain although winds will be lighter elsewhere," she added.

Lang continued: "Tonight, expect temperatures to fall even lower than last night across the South as the winds ease. Dry air, clear skies and light winds - the perfect set up for a hard frost.

"Temperatures across parts of Wales, the Midlands and the West Country could fall to -10 Celsius or below.

"On Friday, there will be snow flurries across the South East and East Anglia - perhaps Kent seeing a few centimetres of snow.

"Elsewhere it will be a freezing cold day, although with less wind, thankfully. The main change will be across Ireland where moister air will spread in from the Atlantic with a mix of rain and hill snow.

"During Friday night, there may be some more snow across East Anglia and the South East. There will also be changes from the west too as that moister air from Ireland comes in across Britain to bring an increased threat of snow.

"During the latter part of Saturday and into the early hours of Sunday, there is a risk of heavy snow across central and eastern England - 5cm to 10cm, up to 4in, is forecast.

"Meanwhile western parts will be more likely to see rain, and temperatures in the West will lift a little. It will remain cold in the East."

The AA has said it was 80% busier than normal.

Darron Burness, the AA's head of special operations, said: "As well as being a killer for car batteries, at those temperatures road salt is pretty much ineffective, so drivers will have to exercise a lot of caution, particularly later tonight and on the early-morning commute tomorrow."

Parts of eastern Europe have seen their coldest winter for 30 years, with at least 30 people dying in the Ukraine alone.

In Bosnia, villagers have been left stranded by the heavy snow and helicopters have been airlifting supplies and evacuating dozens of people.

In Romania, temperatures have dropped as low as -32.5 C in some regions, causing power failures, traffic chaos and the closure of schools and nurseries.

The weather is predicted to spread to North Africa in the coming days.

In the UK, the biting weather is expected to ease off next week, becoming milder on Monday.